Fibre is considered an important part of our daily diet, despite not being digested by the human body. The fibre content of food items is listed alongside their nutritional values, which further accentuates the confusion.

Taking to Instagram on December 9, Dr Sarah Ballantyne, medical biophysicist, PhD Scientist and author made a case as to why fibre holds the place of importance in the daily nutrition list.

Also Read | AIIMS-trained gastroenterologist shares 1 food you should never skip: Decreases colon cancer risk, boosts liver health

Fibre lowers the risk of multiple diseases

Ensuring sufficient fibre intake as part of our regular diet helps decrease the risk of a wide array of diseases, according to Ballantyne. Some of them are listed as follows:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Cancers (especially colorectal cancer)
• Inflammatory bowel diseases
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Diverticular disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Gout
• Depression and anxiety
• Alzheimer’s disease

Noting that the list is far from over, she added that every 10 grams of daily fibre that we consume reduces all-cause mortality risk (an indirect way of measuring overall health and longevity) by 10%, which is almost “an additional year of lifespan and health span.”

Benefits of fibre for gut health

While the human body cannot directly digest fibre, it can be digested by the bacteria present inside our gut. They turn fibres into a number of healthy compounds, which include:

• Vitamin K2
• Vitamin B’s
• Short-chain fatty acids
• Immune-regulating compounds to reduce inflammation
• Neurotransmitters that improve mental health and sleep quality

“Fibre also slows down how quickly we absorb carbohydrates from our food, which helps to blunt the blood sugar response and help to preserve insulin sensitivity,” shared the researcher.

It further “helps to bind extra cholesterol hormones and the products of liver detoxification to facilitate their elimination from the body and reduce reabsorption rates.”

And last, the more commonly known utility of fibre is to add bulk to the material that is travelling down the oesophagus, which helps to strengthen the walls of the intestine and reduces the risk of diverticular disease.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.